Natal, in South Africa, was one of the causes of the First and Second Boer Wars fought between the Boers and the British Empire. After the British tried to annex Natal, the Boers launched several pre-emptive strikes on the British forces in the region. In response, British troops poured into Natal to retaliate against the Boers. This led to the Boers launching a vicious guerrilla war against the British, and the British responded in kind by burning Boer farms and driving them into concentration camps – some of the first ever established.
On this day September 3rd, in 1900, Commander in Chief Field Marshall Lord Roberts declared the Boer War over after having invaded and conquered the principle cities the South African Republic was formally annexed.
The Second Boer War was the longest, most expensive (£200 million), and bloodiest conflict between 1815 and 1914, lasting 3 months longer and with higher casualties than the Crimean War. But there was a lot to fight for: much of the geographic region of Natal is immensely rich with gold and diamonds.